A representative of Redflex Traffic Systems gives a brief presentation on a new laser-technology traffic detection system that includes video and can measure the speed of vehicles and the distance between vehicles. Charlie Buckels, southeast U.S. sales manager for Redflex, gave the presentation during an Oak Ridge City Council work session on Tuesday evening, April 19, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Redflex Traffic Systems, the company that once had unmanned, pole-mounted red-light and speed enforcement cameras in Oak Ridge, has a new handheld system that it says could be used to help make roads safer as the city tries to slow down speeding drivers. But the use of the devices hasn’t been approved yet, and one Oak Ridge City Council member expressed her strong opposition on Tuesday.
The new handheld LIDAR devices include a camera, and they can capture traffic violations on video. They use a laser technology to measure vehicle speeds and distances between vehicles, said Charlie Buckels, southeast U.S. sales manager for Redflex. LIDAR stands for light detection and ranging.
Buckels said the handheld devices could be used for both civil and criminal violations. In some cases, such as for speeding, police officers could use the devices and the evidence they collect to issue civil citations that could be mailed to the registered owners of violating vehicles. In those cases, officers wouldn’t have to stop the violators, Buckels said.
But in other cases—when a car is driving excessively fast or swerving, for example—police officers could pull vehicles over, Buckels said.
City officials said they have been discussing drivers traveling too fast on roadways in the city, including those coming into town on South Illinois Avenue in the morning and trying to get to work on time. Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said three City Council members have asked him to take action to combat speeding, and he’s had concerns himself about traffic on Illinois Avenue. Other roads cited by city officials Tuesday included Oak Ridge Turnpike, Robertsville Road, Melton Lake Drive, and Tennessee Avenue.
Officials said the volume of traffic on some roadways can be more than one officer can manage effectively, and the handheld devices could help, issuing civil citations when appropriate and used to make traffic stops when necessary.
Buckels presented the device to the Oak Ridge City Council during a non-voting work session on Tuesday. The reaction was mixed.
Oak Ridge City Council Trina Baughn raised several objections. Millions have already been spent in recent years, Baughn said, specifically on “tools†and technology for the Oak Ridge Police Department, including more than $400,000 on a software system and “excessive dollars on additional vehicles, many of which are visible daily in our parking lot.”
“Our officers are very well-equipped to do their jobs; even the MTAS (Municipal Technical Advisory Service) review proclaimed such,” Baughn said in a follow-up email Friday morning. The cameras were divisive, and Redflex was voted out a few years ago “because the public so strongly demanded that we do so,” Baughn said.
She also raised one of the longstanding objections to Redflex, which is related to its involvement in a Chicago bribery case. Baughn cited an August 2015 press release from the FBI that reported that a former Redflex chief executive officer pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge. Baughn asked Watson why the city is even associating with the company.
“I will not support bringing them back under any circumstances and do not want any calls or emails about the matter,” Baughn said.
Watson said that particular CEO no longer works for the company. In a 2013 article posted on the Redflex website, the Sacramento Bee reported that Redflex had accepted the resignations of four top executives, including its chief executive officer and chief financial officer, after an earlier internal investigation found that a company representative gave an undisclosed amount of money and gifts to the official in charge of the city of Chicago’s red-light camera program.
On Tuesday, Watson said people want traffic slowed down in Oak Ridge, and the city staff wants to continue to look at options like the new Redflex devices. The purpose is to improve driver safety, he said.
Oak Ridge City Council member Ellen Smith said the new handheld devices should be considered. The devices would be in police cars, and they would allow officers to have an effect on more traffic, Smith said. She said driving speeds went up after the traffic cameras were removed two years ago.
“We need to look at this technology,” Smith said. However, she added that the city would need to put out a request for proposals and would have to accept bids.
Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch also said he thinks the city has a speeding problem.
“I think it’s getting worse,” Gooch said.
The Redflex handheld devices would be manned, meaning they would be used by an officer. They are more accurate than radar, Buckels said. It’s not clear what the cost per device would be; that would depend upon the configuration, Buckels said.
There could be several options for how the devices would be implemented, Watson said. In one option, Redflex would provide the equipment “up front,” meaning they wouldn’t cost the city anything, and the company would then charge a per-transaction fee.
Redflex had its pole-mounted, unmanned red-light and speed enforcement cameras in Oak Ridge for five years. They were installed at four locations: Oak Ridge Turnpike and New York Avenue/Lafayette Drive, Oak Ridge Turnpike in front of Oak Ridge High School, North Illinois Avenue at Robertsville Road, and Robertsville Road at Willow Brook Elementary School.
But after some vigorous opposition and a few contentious meetings, the City Council did not extend the five-year contract with Redflex in March 2014. The vote to extend it for two years with a few changes was 3-4. Charlie Hensley is the only Council member who voted in favor of the extension who is still on the seven-member Council. Two members who voted against the extension, Trina Baughn and Chuck Hope, are also still on Council. (The other four members—Kelly Callison, Rick Chinn, Warren Gooch, and Ellen Smith—were elected in November 2014.)
Redflex representatives said the current proposal has nothing to do with cameras on poles. The new LIDAR devices would be in the hands of police officers, they said.
Buckels said a legislative change now only allows unmanned photo enforcement in school zones and so-called S curves. Ten cities in Tennessee, including Farragut and Johnson City, are using Redflex technology, he said.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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Sam Hopwood says
OMG.. Are we going to go through this malarkey again? Say it ain’t so. Hand held speed cameras everywhere? Big Brother is already watching us as soon as we step out of our front doors. Only in OR would this be considered. And we want people to shop in OR? MADNESS!!
Matt Bailey says
No Sam, Knoxville has cameras and your buddy Trina wants us to be Farragut! We lost $500,000 and speeding has increased thru school areas. Quit letting the most negative person in 50 years corrupt your thought process. Trina hates everything she can’t control in our city. For once, let’s have a civil conversation, without her negativity. She’s been looking for a fight since she embarrassed the city and herself about the Police Chief. Red lights likely have nothing to do with shopping. Farragut has red light cameras and people shop there every day.
Sam Hopwood says
Well Matt, I drive through school areas every day and around OR and I don’t see excessive speeding. You and a few others are simply looking for excuses to increase revenue, as was the case when the cameras were initially installed. I believe Ray Evans, at one point in time, said that a proper study had never been done and the cameras should be removed. He has extensive experience in this area and it would be interesting to hear his views, if he cared to give them. He may decline though, since he now works for the city. Just a thought. Have a good one.
Matt Bailey says
Sam, try driving down the turnpike in the morning around ORHS. Or better yet, read the mothers on FB who frequently talk about this and other driving problems around the schools in the morning & afternoons. Raising revenue, in our city – please tell me how that’s bad. Call it a sin tax – don’t speed, you don’t have a problem. Putting them around the schools is a winner for everyone..the safety of students and teachers, slowing down cars, etc.
Philip W Nipper says
Seems to me if this will help our police force in conducting their day to day traffic control activities and help to reduce the number of speeders in town, then I am not sure why it would be such a bad thing to have. Seems this is just new technology which improves on the current radar technology and only makes sense to embrace. Sure we want new families to move to Oak Ridge and folks to shop and visit our town but we also want drivers to slow down too don’t we? I don’t think utilizing this device would have an adverse effect on any law abiding citizen. Only the speeders would be upset and if they don’t want to come to town, then so be it. I wonder what our police leadership have to say on the subject? Betcha they would like to have it.
Tracy Stout says
Redflex, again? I had hoped we were finished with that company. If these devises can’t tell with 100% accuracy who is driving the vehicle then we don’t need to waste anymore time on it.
I quit paying those tickets after I wasted $100 on two tickets. I did some research on the legality of ticketing a vehicle and not the driver. I received a couple of “official” looking collection letters regarding an unpaid Redflex “ticket.” They, too, went in the trash. I understand you have the option to fight it. However, it is not up to me to prove my innocence, it IS up to the cameras to prove my guilt, which is impossible.
Also, those collection letters weren’t worth the paper they were written on. If one gets a collection letter due to an unpaid credit card, that’s one thing, you agreed to pay your bill, plus interest. No one agreed to or signed a statement or contract agreeing to pay for a Reflex ticket your vehicle received.
Park some unmanned police cars around town, that’s all that needs to be done.
Tracy Stout
Philip W Nipper says
These devices are different from what we had previously. These are not unmanned cameras. These are devices similar to the current hand held or in-car mounted radar that most all law enforcement use but with more technology which are operated by actual human police officers. Again, if drivers are adhering to the posted speed limit they are not in violation and won’t be ticketed. Simple concept.
Joseph Lee says
“I will not support bringing them back under any circumstances and do not want any calls or emails about the matter,†Baughn said.
Spoken like a true public servant. The traffic cameras were a great tool for slowing drivers down and generating revenue from those that break our traffic laws. Had the topic not been used as a political weapon to gin up the electorate and turn out voters in responce to the “issue” then we would not be discussing the speeding problem again and we would not have the million dollar hole punched in our city budget by those that voted to not extend the Redflex contract.
Say Trina, I thought “every penny counts” or does that only apply to spending and not revenue?
Please leave a check with clerk on your way out the door. Thank you.
Mark Caldwell says
This is a great idea. Now, when the speeders get caught, they’ll have a larger fine, points on their license, and higher insurance rates. There’s a problem with speeders in this town, and it’s getting worse.
The biggest benefit of this system, if someone decides to not pay the fine, they’ll be arrested eventually. Habitual lawbreakers should be arrested and removed from our roads.
Sam Hopwood says
Let’s see, Redflex, plus bribery, plus indictments = Chicago. A GREAT company to do business with. Oak Ridgers are so easy.
Joseph Lee says
Please slow down, get home safely and enjoy being there. Thank you.
Mike Mahathy says
Oak Ridge has long had and still has a big issue with spending. Speeding in school zones is concerning. For those that may think we have no such issue just park at the civic center before or after school starts at the high school. Hats off to ORPD which has been patrolling the Turnpike in recent days, with speeders pulled over!
Yet I personally do not think speed cameras that led to tickets that do not have to be paid is not the method. If we have funds available for speed cameras, I am not sure we do, I would prefer to see those funds used to hide more police officers who can stop speeders and write enforceable tickets. Based on what I often observe on the Turnpike an officer could work full time stopping speeders there.
Sam Hopwood says
Oak Ridge has a spending problem Mike? I’m shocked! Say it ain’t so! Regardless, as long as we can continue to fully fund our top three priorities, the school system, the golf course, and re-paving parking lots, we will be OK. If not, a modest property tax increase of 10-20 percent may be desirable. Or, we could de-annex the ‘Outpost” and save a bundle. Re-instating the scammers won’t get it.
Joseph Lee says
Sam, it was more interesting to read your posts back when you made a modest effort to sound thoughtful rather than your failed attempts at comedy. It’s unfortunate the negitrons do not focus on finding solutions rather than creating problems. I guess we should all do what we do best. Slow down, you will live longer. Thank you.
Mike Mahathy says
I was going to say about 40% of Oak Ridge drivers speed. Interestingly about 40% of the people responding to John’s poll do not think we have a speeding problem. Guess we know who the speeders are.
Mike Mahathy says
Sam, Please list the services we get at the outpost that would save taxpayers a bundle. I would certainly like to know what I am missing.
I can’t speak about the golf course though personally I would say we could live without it but that decision was made before my time. As far as schools we’ve had this conversation before. I think we should provide no less than the level of education that was provided to you and later to your children by the taxpayers of Oak Ridge, Tennessee and America. Surely you wouldn’t want to cheat my children.